Lithuania : country of honour 2024

Lithuania is the country of honor for this 12th edition!

Four days of meetings with professionals in the sector, a cocktail, screenings and a round table.

Even if the Lithuanian film industry emerged early, it developed much later. Today, the Lithuanian Film Centre is working hard to restore and disseminate the country’s film heritage, and its next project is to build a film library before continuing its dynamic and promising expansion.

Although the Lumière brothers' first film screening in Lithuania took place early (in 1897), the beginning of Lithuanian feature cinema can be traced back to the era of sound cinema.

The country, which had to rebuild its state base after the first occupation in 1918, was not able to financially support the nascent film industry. The first films were born from the initiative of film lovers and private funds. This stage of Lithuanian cinematography ended with the beginning of World War II.

Lithuanian cinema was being created anew once more, now its construction was under Soviet occupation. Cinema was handed the ideological-propaganda functions. These foreign obstacles to the natural development of cinema encouraged Lithuanian filmmakers to search for original ways of expressing the Lithuanian world and a distinctive Lithuanian auteur cinema was formed.

More than 1000 films that were made in Lithuanian Film Studio are now having the rebirth moment. Films are being restored and adapted for a modern viewing experience. This unique collection together with 10,000 international films that are stored in the archives today is yet a foundation for an upcoming new project – National Cinematheque

ON THE PROGRAMME:

WEDNESDAY 16^th OCTOBER

14:15 / 15:15 - CASE STUDY - Emerging vitality of the heritage sector in Lithuania

with Aleksas Gilaitis (organiser and founder of early film festival Pirmoji Banga, The First Wave), Dmitrij Gluscevskij (Film curator,  film critic and Head of Acquisitions, Lithuanian National Radio and Television, LRT), Lina Kaminskaitė-Jančorienė (PhD, film scholar, researcher, and heritage film curator at Media Education and Research Center Meno Avilys), Giedrė Simanauskaitė (manager for National Cinematheque project, Lithuanian Film Centre), Jonas Zagorskas (Film restorer, the Lithuanian State Film Archive, Colorist, studio BBposthouse Vilnius).
Moderator: Ariel Schweizer (Film historian, critic and lecturer).

18:30 - COCKTAIL
Sponsored by Lithuanian Film Centre

MARKET SCREENINGS -  Institut Lumière (Villa)

19:45 - Andrius by Algirdas Araminas, 1980, 1h03, selected at Lumière Festival 2024, VO subtitles.. A young boy Andrius learns a magic words which open a door to another world. Tickets can be booked at the Lumière Festival box office.

21:40 - Jausmai (Feelings) by Algirdas Dausa and d’Almantas Grikevičius, 1968, 1h31, VO subtitles. The Second World War is ending. Widower Kasparas moves in with his brother Andrius, who lives on the other side of the bay where the German occupation has already ended. Andrius’ wife Egne is still in love with Kasparas. Her relatives and a group of Lithuanian nationalists are planning on fleeing to Sweden. Egne persuades her husband that they should all go together, hoping to once again regain Kasparas’ affection after crossing the sea. But Kasparas opts to return home and border guards detain Andrius. Nine long years pass before the brothers see each other again.

 
FRIDAY 18^th OCTOBER

9:30 / 10:00 - RE>BIRTH PROGRAMME #2 - Films with Lumière Classics label
Presentation of Andrius by Algirdas Araminas, one of the 4 films selected for the programme, seeking help with sales and promotion.

10:30 / 11:00 - ONE TO ONE #2
Meetings with project owners.

EXHIBITION

From 15t^h to 18t^h October
Discover a selection of 10 posters
that have marked the history of Lithuanian cinema at the MIFC Village.

STAND

From 15^th to 18^th October
A strong Baltic presence this year in the exhibitor section of the Village:  
Lithuanian Film Centre, Estonian Film Institute and the National Film Centre of Latvia.